It ain't working for me
Not here either!
I'm thinking fix!
I feel like the stupidest man on the planet.
Thea Lundgren??? You just have to click on the change vote button and then you'll have your two votes, as did I.
Alright, so I might have already mentioned that my first vote was for Nottravis (even though I'm really discrete about my fangirlism), well my second vote will favor HopesGaming!
yes,,,, finally someone who tries to say something nice about most of then but can explain why 2 of those are her personal favorite
Alright, so it's justification time! Good thing this is my second to last day at work, and thus I have all the time in the world. Besides, I love the
sound sight of my own
voice posts, so here it is
The ones I didn't vote for:
Philly_Games - Great storyteller here. I discovered Depraved Awakenings while it was already finished, and I was blown away by the story and characterization. "Detective Noir" style was perfectly rendered and perfectly used to incorporate the sex in a believable way, the investigation led to a real threat, the villains were real villains and not just the NTR shit we see in most game as soon as a rival/threat must appear to force artificial feelings unto the player. Nothing of the sort with DA, the game was perfectly executed from start to finish. I wish I could say the same for City of Broken Dreamers, and frankly, the only reason I can't is because I stopped playing after chapter 2. Because it was subpar? Quite the contrary. CoBD has the potentiel to be a fucking crazy experience, and I want to experiment it once all chapters are done. The background is so rich I'm afraid of forgetting bits of lore with every new chapter, so I'm waiting. And it's not easy.
Dr PinkCake - Another huge name. Perhaps DPC's and Philly's games are so high in most lists because both devs have actually finished their previous ones (and with a real ending, not just a botched epilogue). I really liked Acting Lesson, and if it wasn't for one character, I wouldn't think too highly of the game I think. This character is, of course, Liam. Well-fleshed, total bro and funny as hell, I'm also glad the NTR guys got told off. Let's what DPC did be a lesson for all (housefire not withstanding), BLACK GUYS ARE HUMANS TOO. They're not just some fucking NTR devices for insecure manchildren. Tho, while I liked AL, I absolutely adore Being a Dik. The jokes hit the target with me, the girls are shallower than in AL for now (but I do find them prettier - I know, this poll doesn't involve graphics, I'll stick to the writing), but there are only two episodes out, and they're sure to get more interesting as the game goes on. He perfectly recreated the atmosphere of 2000s movies à la American Pie and other teenager movies.
MrJet - Becoming a Rock Star hasn't been here a long time, and yet it feels like it's already one of the big names of the scene. Renders are fantastic, of course, but more than that, it's the way he succeeds in making compelling characters that made me fall in love with the game. Each love interest actually feels like more than a love interest. You've got different type of personalities (the career woman, the singer type, the nymphomaniac nurse, the perky colleague, etc.) and each and every one of them feels fleshed out and not just thrown away for a quick wank. The main story, a boy leaving the family business to create a band, is also well thought off. While less gifted writers would have just make it an excuse to have a MC shagging all the groupies around, here the story really advances, and then MrJet adds some family drama, wolf of wall street vibes, etc. All in all, a great story with interesting characters, yet again
Sumodeine - My Sister, My Roommate has been a good enough story from the beginning. I actually applaud Sumodeine for going through the incest route in a refreshing manner (and please, stick to your guns and don't make Nikki a love interest!). The characters are nice and the storyflow is right, and even though I eagerly await for the next update, the writing in MSMR isn't as groundbreaking as some of the other devs on this poll. That being said, Sumo is a master troll/cliffhanger genius
Domiek - Here is someone who can write fucking great banter, as it has been said countless times already. But each of these countless times is well-deserved. The story itself might not seem like much, even though having a guy pass as gay to work on a women only gym is a stroke of genius ("did you just assume my gender?"), but what the story may lack is much more than compensated by the way Domiek brings his characters to life. I might be getting ahead of myself here, but I'd bet my left nut (the best one) that Domiek genuily loves the characters he created, and it shows when playing. So don't sell yourself short, man, your place on this poll is more than deserved!
Belle - Long Live the Princess has been the first game I played where I thought: "Gods, porn game can actually have a story?" And what a great story it is! The premises are original as fuck, the clue system allows for real investment into the story and the character's background, each character has their own personality and Belle is hilarious as well as sexy as hell. Unfortunately (for me), this game is following the same path than CoBD, meaning I now wish for it to be finished so I could really dive into it with everything it has to offer.
CheekyGimp - This one will be harder to review, mainly because I've been playing Where The Heart Is for a few days now (and almost at the end). I started it recently, and while I do think the writing is clearly better than a lot of games here, I find this game lacking a little relatively to the other ones on this poll. Let it be clear that I find in no way that WTHI is a mediocre game, or even merely a good one, nope. WTHI is a really good game, but the plot itself is really more of a background noise to me. Actually, this is the kind of game that I usually play for a few minutes then just delete, but I haven't been able to do that with WTHI. When I've finished playing, I just save and comes back later to continue the story, so I guess there must be something that keeps me returning to it, I just can't define it. Might be that I find Katie the cutest thing since dwarf rabbits...
The two devs that won my
heart vote:
HopesGaming - The DeLuca family is my second favorite adult game ever (take a guess at which one's my first). HopesGaming's writing is nothing short of wonderful because he gives us characters and storylines in which we feel fully invested. The girls all have their own issues, their own needs and desires, and are so well written that it is physically difficult not to fall in love with each of them each time their personal story progresses. Then, you have the overarching plot, full of mysteries and secrets soon to be discovered (or not). Finally, add a competent MC, who is not a creepy kid spying at his mother showering... But I don't think it is fair to compare it to the likes of Big Brother's MC. Pepito DeLuca (Yes, Pepito, I name it as I want) is a great MC in and on himself, regardless of other
failures games.
Nottravis - Alright, I hope you liked the previous wall of text, because here I come. Heavy
Fucking Five is a UFO (pun intended) in the world of adult gaming. I could go on and on about the writing, the plot, the characters, and this is exactly what I'll be doing for the next twenty minutes of your reading life.
The plot is something that is both quite intriguing in its premises and devilishly complex in its implications throughout the story. You play Lieutenant Pepito Massiveshlong who's been sent on a last minute mission to repair a power supply dysfunction on Ophion Station. On the way there, the ship you're in suffer from an unknown issue and you have the option to nut up or shut up. I won't tell you any further because spoiling this gem of a game would be doing a disservice to anyone who hasn't played it yet (do it). Let's just say that every choices you make as Lieutenant Massiveshlong will lead you to several different points in the story, where your choices will once again give you a special taylor-made experience.
The characters all have something special that sets them appart from each other and from other VN's ones. I won't go into details, but the women and the men have real interactions with the MC and between each other. Depending on your choices, they will treat you as a friend, a potential fuck buddy, a lover, a hostile, an asshole. Just name it, Heavy Five has it.
All that being said, one reason the writing here shines through is that while the complexity of it all is breath taking, it is all coherent. There's nothing that the dev pulled out of her ass at the last minute just to please these or those noisy fans. The entire plot has been well thought out even before the chapter 1 was released, and it shows. Quality always shows.
I'm going to stop here or my fangirlism will start to show as well
tl;dr only great devs in this here poll, but HopesGaming and Nottravis are something more